State Employment Rate Holds Steady

A state report says Oregon's unemployment rate hasn't changed.
The monthly report released Tuesday by the state Employment Department said the jobless rate was at 8.4 percent in February, the same as in January. The rate has been within a range of about half a percentage point for more than a year.
A year earlier the rate was 8.9 percent. The rate is based on a survey of households, and the figures are seasonally adjusted.
The report said a federal government survey of employment showed the state added 6,800 jobs in February, all but 800 in the private sector. The state's total nonfarm payroll employment is more than 1.6 million.